Safety device for firearms.



No. 774,712. PATENTED NOV. 8, 1904.

O. G. VOLD 1 N0 MODEL.

WWII" III/1W WITNESSES: INVENTOR BY a I 7 A TTOHNEYS Patented November8, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

OLE G. VOLD, OF DAWSON, MINNESOTA.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR FIREARMS.

SPECIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 774,712, dated November8, 1904.

Application filed October 20, 1903. Serial No. 177,774. (No model.)

To all whom it bury concern.-

Be it known that l, OLE Gr. VOLD, acitizen of the United States, and aresident of Dawson, in the county of Lac qui Parle and State ofMinnesota, have invented a new and useful Im provement in Firearms, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in firearms, especially to adevice for locking the hammer in fixed position, so that it cannot betampered with and the arm accidentally fired by persons not acquaintedwith the pe-' culiarities of the weapon.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a combination locking devicefor the hammer operated at the exterior of the frame and which untilproperly set prevents the-hammer from being carried to a half-cocked orfullycocked position, and,further, to provide means whereby thecombination locking mechanism cannot be removed from the arm forpurposes of inspection unless the person is fully acquainted with thesetting of the combination.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully'setforth, and pointed out inthe claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a revolver to which the improvement isshown applied. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the revolver, having a sideportion of the frame broken away to disclose the locking mechanism-forthe hammer. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the frame and a planview of the locking device. Fig. 4 is an inner face View of a portion ofthe frame, illustrating the mechanism for locking the locking deviceagainst displacement. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the pivot-pin for thelocking member of the locking device. Fig. 6 is a perspective view ofthe parts adapted to be carried by the pin shown in Fig. 5 and throughwhich a combination is effected. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of thecontrollingbolt for the locking member of the device, and Fig. 8 is aperspective View of the locking member.

A represents the barrel of the revolver, to which the improvement isshown applied; A, the cylinder; A the frame, and A the grip. The hammerB is mounted in the frame in any suitable manner and is controlled inits action toward the barrel by means of the usual spring 11, located inthe grip A but the said hammer B has a stud 10, which extends from oneof its sides, as is shown best in Figs. 2 and 3, and this stud isadapted to be engaged by a locking member-,- t be hereinafter described,which serves to hold the hammer by such contact in cocked safetyposition as long as desired.

A pin 12 is passed through the frame at the rear of the hammer, and thispin, as is shown in Fig. 5, is provided with a head 13 at one end andthreads at the opposite end, and the threaded'end has opposing flatsurfaces 13 produced thereon. These flat surfaces are adapted to receivea pinion 14, located within the frame and held fast to the pin by theaforesaid flat faces, as is shown in Fig. 3. The teeth of the pinion 14are engaged by a pawl -15. This pawl, which is a spring member,

is attached to a sleeve 16, and the said sleeve in its turn is securedto a base 17, attached to the inner face of one of the sides of theframe A and is fixed against movement, and, asis shown in Fig. 4, thespring-pawl 15 is provided with a bow-section 18 above the sleeve 16,asis also shown in Fig. 4, and in the sleeve 16 a trip member 19 ismounted to slide. When this trip member is pushed forward into therecess 24 in the body 20 of a locking member to be hereinafterdescribed, the forward end of said trip member engaging with thebow-section 18 of the pawl holds the pawl out of engagement with thepinion 14,,permitting the pin 12 to be withdrawn; but when the tripmember 19 is out of engagementwith the bow section 18 of the pawl thepawl will be in engagement with the pinion 14, holding the said pinionagainst turning, and consequently preventing the'pin 12 from beingunscrewed from its position in the frame A The trip member 19 cannot bepushed forward excepting when the lock is half-way between locked-andunlocked position, as in such position only the recess 24 of the lockingmember 20 is directly opposite or in front of the said trip member 19,allowing it to come forward. The point of the said trip 19 then fitsinto the said recess 24.

In Fig. 8 I have illustrated a locking member which is adapted to turnloosely on the pin 12 and is located in the frame. This looking memberconsists of a skeleton disk-shaped body 20, having a nose 21, adaptedwhen in locking position to engage with the pin of the hammer and holdthe hammer against movement either to a half-cocked or to a fullcockedposition. The body of the locking member is provided with a peripheralportion 22 adjacent to the nose 21, and in this portion 22 recesses 23and 24 are produced, and the edge in which said recesses occur ispractically diagonally opposite the location of said nose, and the saidbody 20 is further provided with an inwardly-extending sleeve 25, havingan opening 26 therein to permit the spring 11 of the hammer to freelyact should it prove the locking member shown in Fig. 8.

necessary to pass the spring through the sleeve.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated the elements of the combination acting inconjunction with Taking these elements in the order in which they areshown in Fig. 6, 27 represents what I term the outer dial member,consisting of a dialhead 27, attached to a disk, and from the said diska sleeve 28 is carried inward, and from the inner edge of said sleeve afinger 29 extends also in an inward direction. Next is the main dialmember 30, which is preferably of disk-like formation and is of greaterdiameter than the body of the outer dial member 27. The head 27 of theouter dial member is polygonal. being illustrated as rectangular, and atthe corners of the said head of said outer dial member 27 figures orcharacters are produced, in the drawings figures being shown reading I,II, III, I111. The body of the outer dial member 27 is adapted to turnin the second dial member 30, and this second dial member 30 on itsouter face has characters produced thereon-as, for example, X, N, V, A,corresponding in position to the position of the figures or numbers onthe head of the outer dial member 27. The outer dial member 27 turnsindependently of the inner dial member 30, in which it has movement, andboth of these dial members appear at the outside of preferably theleft-hand face of the frame, as shown in Fig. 1. The inner or seconddial member 30 is provided with a collar 31 on its inner face, and inthe inner edge of this collar recesses 32 are produced, preferablyevenly spaced. The other elements of the combination member consist of awasher 33 and a second inner washer 36. The washer 33 is provided at itsouter face at its periphery with atooth or spur 34, adapted to enter oneof the recesses 32 in the second or inner dial member 30, and is alsoprovided with a peripheral notch or recess 35, which will register withone of the notches 32 in the inner or second dial member 30 at theproper time. The last or innermost washer 36 is provided with threenotches 38 in its inner peripheral edge and with an outer peripheralnotch 37, and one of the inner notches or recesses 38 is adapted toreceive the finger or spur 29 on the outer dial member 27 when theaforesaid elements of the combination are mounted on the pin 12, as isshown in Fig. 2. At proper time the outer peripheral recess 37 in theinner washer is adapted to register with the peripheral recess 35 of theinner washer and one of the recesses 32 in the dial member 30. It willbe understood that the projection 29 on the dial 27 is sufficiently longto reach the washer 36 and that a rotation of the dial 27 effects arotation of the washer 36 when the parts are set to act in unison. Itwill also be understood that the entrance of a tooth 34 into one of therecesses 32 is to temporarily insure an interlocking engagement betweenthese parts, which can be broken when desired, as the parts shown inFig. 6 have more or less sliding movement on the pin 12.

In connection with the locking member (shown in Fig. 8) I employ acontrolling-bolt C. (Shown in Fig. 7.) This controlling-bolt consists ofa body portion 39, cylindrical, or practically so, in cross-section, athumb-piece 40 at the one end of the body, a spur 41 extending from thethumb-piece to the body, and an inner or foot member 42, longer than thesaid spur, together with trunnions 43, whereby the controlling-bolt ispivoted in the sides of the frame, as is illustrated in' Figs. 1, 2, and3. When the controlling-bolt is placed in the frame, the free end of thethumb-piece 40 extends out through the upper slot 44, produced in theframe, as is illustrated in Fig. 2.

When the controlling-boltC is in position, the foot member 42 thereofenters the slot or recess 23 in the body 20 of the locking member,(shown in Fig. 8,) as is illustrated in Fig. 2, and the spur orprojection 41 is adapted to enter the registering recesses of theelements of the combination shown in Fig. 6 when the recesses are inregistry, at which time the foot member 42 is free to act on the lockingmember and move the same; but otherwise 'the locking member cannot bemoved by the manipulation of the thumb-piece of the controlling-bolt.

In deciding on a combination before the pin 12 is placed in position inthe frame the outer dial member is turned until, for example, thenumeral "11 is opposite the exposed trunnion 43 of the controlling-bolt,and the inner dial member is then turned so as to bring one of thecharacters or letters thereon in corresponding registry. The elements ofthe combination are then placed in position in the frame, and thethumb-piece of the controllingbolt is carried downward to the positionshown in positive lines in Fig. 2, thereby forcing the hammer, which isin firing position, (shown in Fig. 2,) to remain in such position bybringing the nose 21 of the locking member against the pin 10 of thehammer. The dials are then turned to destroy the visible combination,and the hammer will therefore remain locked until the characters of thecombination are again brought into line with each other and with thetrunnion 43, at which time the thumb-piece of the controlling-bolt C canbe moved forward, as its spur 41 will enter the assembled registeringrecesses in the elements or members of the combination, permitting thefoot member 42 to turn the body 20 of the locking member as the saidthumbpiece is carried forward, thereby removing the nose 21 of theaforesaid locking member from engagement with the hammer and permittingthe hammer to turn freely to its full cocked position, as at such timethe cut-away portion 22 of the locking member will be opposite the rearlower portion of the hammer, as is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. Thetrip member 19 is operated by hand after a side piece of thegrip-section of the arm has been removed. In order that the alinement ofthe notches in the body 20 of the locking member may be destroyed afterthe hammer is locked and the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2,the controlling-bolt C is afforded suflicient movement to carry theprojection 41 out of the notches of said body 20 at such time.

Under this construction it will be observed that the weapon to which theimprovement is applied is rendered perfectly safe in the hands ofpersons not understanding the combination, no matter how the weapon maybe used.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In small firearms, a combination-lock for thehammer, means for setting the said look at the outside of the frame andfor operating the look at such point, and a releasing device for thelock normally concealed within the said frame.

2. In small firearms, a hammer, a combination-lock for the hammer,operative from the outside of the frame of the arm, a locking devicenormally concealed within the grip portion of the frame of the arm,which locking device when in action prevents the withdrawal of any ofthe elements forming the combination-lock, as and for the purposedescribed.

3. In small firearms, a hammer, a pin extending from the hammer, alocking member pivoted in the frame of the arm and operative from theexterior of the grip portion of the arm, a combination lock havingoperating members at the exterior of the frame and interior elementshaving coacting projections and recesses, the said interior elementsacting on the aforesaidlocking member, and asafetylock normallyconcealed within the grip portion of the arm, and a pinion on theconnecting-pin of the combination-lock and located within the frame, toand from which the safety device is adapted for manual movement whensaid safety device is exposed, as set forth.

4. In firearms,the combination with a frame, and a hammer pivoted in theframe and provided with a projection from one of its faces, of acombination locking device, comprising a pivot-pin, dials mounted toturn one in the other, the outer dial having a finger projectingtherefrom through the inner dial, the inner dial being provided with aseries of recesses at its bottom portion, an outer washer having anouter peripheral recess adapted in one position of the washer toregister with a recess in the lower portion of the inner dial, and anupwardly-extending lug adapted to enter a recess at the bottom portionof the inner dial, a lower washer having interior recesses, one of whichis adapted to receive the finger from the outer dial. and an outerperipheral recess adapted to register with the outer peripheral recessin the firstnamed washer and in the inner dial, a locking member mountedon the same support with the dials and washers, and provided with a noseextending from its periphery, and with recesses in its periphery, and acontrolling-bolt having a thumb-piece and a lug adapted to enter theouter recesses in the dials and washers when such recesses register, anda foot member adapted to enter a recess in the said locking member, asset forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

OLE Gr. VOLD. Witnesses:

ARTHUR W. EWING, WILLIAM RUND.

